Local News

A proposed Levy County ordinance designed to restrict where persons who have been convicted of sex crimes can live, how many can live together or next to each other and their activities in certain places will be up for comment in a public hearing Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Levy County Courthouse.

Fans of Cedar Key clams will be celebrating on July 4 when the island town celebrates is biggest product - clams.

For a number of years the Cedar Key Aquaculture Association hosted huge crowds on July 4th for its annual Clamerica celebration. But the small group of volunteers who put on the event, could not handle the monumental task and it went away.

The island still celebrated the Fourth with a big fireworks show that had been part of Clamerica, but many who attended said they missed the clam party.

The replacement of the Waccasassa River Bridge on County Road 326 in Levy County, approximately three miles southwest of Gulf Hammock, is now underway by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

The existing bridge is being replaced in phases. While one lane of the new bridge is being constructed, traffic will use the other lane of the existing bridge. Traffic will be controlled by a temporary traffic signal when a flagger is not present. Lane closures may also occur after 7 a.m. weekdays. No work is anticipated to occur on weekends.

Donations for the fireworks show on July 4th in Cedar Key could use a few more clams (actually money) to reach their goal.

Leslie Valen, executive director of the Greater Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce, said she has 50 percent of the money needed in hand and another 25 percent is pledged, but more is needed.

The Chamber has taken over the fireworks show and the town's July 4th celebration, which has lain dormant since the Cedar Key Aquaculture Association gave up its popular Clamerica celebration in 2011 after putting it on for seven years.

National Fishing and Boating Week celebrates popular and traditional outdoor activities that families turn to during summer vacations. It takes place the first full week of June every year. This year it’s June 6-14, so visit TakeMeFishing.org to see what opportunities might be available near you.

The Levy County Sheriff's Office and Cedar Key Police Department have arrested Cale Brandon Barber, 31, of Williston on charges of grand theft and dealing in stolen property on May 16 but the full extent of his activities may not be known, according to a sheriff's press release.

LCSO had been looking for Barber after receiving a complaint he drove away from a gas station in Williston without paying for his fuel.

The Levy County Commission has thrown its support behind a request by the Levy County Historical Society to bring a sunken ship to light.

Toni Collins, one of two members of the society, brought the request for the letter up as a non-agenda item at Tuesday's commission meeting. The commission agreed 5-0 to take up the matter and later voted 5-0 to send the letter of support to state officials.

The Greater Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce, which is spearheading this year's pledge drive for the fireworks show at the first (and hopefully annual) Old Florida Clamfest is reporting that it is only half way to its goal of $12,000.

But more needs to be done very soon as the Chamber needs to meet its goal by June 1.

Donations can be made online using a PayPal account at www.cedarkey.org/#!fireworks or at the Chamber's Cedar Key Welcome Center two doors down from City Hall on Second Street.